Wheel puller



F. G, WACKER WHEEL Pupma me April :50. 1921 Patented Jan. 1, 1924.

UNITED STATES FREDERICK G. WACKER. OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WHEEL FULLER.

Application filed April 38, 1921. Serial No. 465,743.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK G. W'AGKER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in \Vheel Pullers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its general object to provide an improved wheel puller, that is to say, a device for pulling wheels, gears, or other shaft-carried elements from the carrying shaft, and consists in the features of construction, combinations, and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a side elevation, with parts broken away, showing the wheel puller in use; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the wheel puller; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a hook detached; and Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view showing two books connected in tandem.

It will be understood that while, for purposes of disclosure, 1 have illustrated the embodiment of my invention in a form of wheel puller employing only diametrically opposed hooks on a two-armed frame, I do not intend to limit it to such embodiment, since the invention may be embodied in a three-armed or a crows-foot puller, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

Frame 10 has a central hub 11 receiving the pressure-applicator that is shown as a center screw 12 threaded through the hub so that its front end or point 13 may act against the shaft A and its head 14 may receive the operating tool for turning the screw. From hub 11 radiate a suitable number of arms 15, herein shown as two diametrically opposed arms, these being in a plane at right angles to the screw and each having a rail-portion 16 preferably strengthened by a narrow web or rib 16 running centrally along the back thereof broadening toward the hub and merging into the hub 11, so leaving the marginal portions of the back of the rail free for coaction with the hooks.

Each hook 17, mounted on an arm, comprises a reach or body 18 having at its rear end a base 19 for attachment to an arm 15 and at its other end having a head 20. Base 19 has, at what I will term its inner side (that is to say, the side toward the center screw 12) a yoke 21, the limbs of which straddle the rail and have their ends inturned as at 22 for engagement with the rear side of the rail flanking the rail-web 16', so that the hook may he slid along the rail. In connection with the hook I provide means for fixing it in adjusted positions on the rail. Specifically, a stud 24 projects from the outer side of the hook to lie in front of and nearly parallel to the rail, this stud receiving near its outer end a pressure screw 25 to clamp against the rail. \Vhen the screw 25 is tightened it tends, of course, to rock the head of the hook inward, and so tends to bind the rail between the innermost margin of the yoke-surface that bears on the front of the rail and the outermost margin of those surfaces of the yoke-ends or blocks 22 that bear against the back of the rail. \Vhile the specific construction and arrangement of yoke-surfaces and screw may be varied, l advantageously provide narrow bearing surfaces 26 and 27 at the inner edge of the yoke-body and the outer edge of the blocks respectively, these surfaces lying in slightly separated zones lengthwise of the rail and preferably made flat and disposed so as snugly to fit with the respective surfaces of the rail when the hook stands perfectly at right angles to the rail. By loosening screw 25 the hook may be given a slight freedom to tilt its head outwardly, and with the head so tilted the hook is loosened enough to he slipped easily along the rail, notwithstanding that when the screw is tightened and the hook brought to its working position it is most effectively and rigidly clamped on the rail.

Along the reach or body portion 18 of the hook its inner face 2H is recutrantly curved, or cut back, so that the head 20 may have a nose or hook proper Z30 projecting inwardly for a distanec effectively equaling the depth or radial dimensions of the yokecuds or blocks this nose 30 being preferably of thickness and width equal to the like dimensions of the rail 16. Head 20 also provides an outward extension 31 preferably in the form of a plate and preferably having a notch 32 formed at the outer end of its front surface, such notch aligning with the active end of screw 25. A strength.- ening web 33, shaped so as not to interfere with the operation of the screw 25, may integrally connect the extension 31 and the lug 124, stiffening the hook construction general v.

The head construction described is compleniental to the base construction so that, as shown in Fig. at, one hook 127* may be mounted upon another hook I? forming in effect a linear extension of the arm-carried hook, and 'igidly afiixed thereto. The notehing of the head at I32 enables the screw 25 to act as a lock to prevent the inward displacement of hook 17 and of course the nose 30 having the dimensions of a small fragment of the rail 16 and depth corresponding to the blocks 22, snugly receives the yoke 21 as shown.

I prefer that the rail be )rovided on one or both sides with gauge inc icia 34, lldlliIEd at such intervals that when coacting with the front of the yoke as a gaugedine they will indicate the efiective distance of the upper portion of the hook-body from the axis of the screw 12, that is to say, will indicate by diameter, as shown, (or by radius if preferred) the sine of wheel. receivable. between the hooks under such setting.

In operation the hooks may be set to posi tion according to known diameter of the wheel to be pulled, and such hooks clamped by tightening of screws 25', whereupon the hook-nose 30 may be slipped over the margins of the wheel I3 and the center screw l2 turned home until the wheel is pulled off of its shaft A.

lVhile I have fully described a preferred and satisfactory embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that changes in details thereof may be made without departure from the spirit of my invention within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a wheel puller, the combination of a frame providing a plurality of radiating rails and a pressure applicator. of hooks respectively mounted on said rails each having av base arranged for rail-engagement and a head eomplemental to the base andadapted to engage the base of a Similar book.

2. A structure as set forth in claim 1, wherein the base provides a rail-einln'aeing yoke and a screwmarrying lug, and said lead provides: a base-engaging nose and an extension to extend under said lug.

3. A structure as set forth in claim 2,

wherein the extension has a screw-receiving depression, substantially as described.

4'. As an article of manufacture, a wheelpuller hook comprising a, body, a head and a base, said base having a yoke for rail-em gagement, and said head providing a hooknose and shaped complementally to the base whereby said head is adapted to engage a hook-base as described.

5. In a wheel puller, the combination with a frame arm providing a rail, a hook having a nose, a body and a base, said base providing a yoke for straddling the rail and inturned cnd blocks for passing under the rail, and an outwardly extending lug, said base providing IZiII-COIIfIOHLlDg bearing surfaces above and below the rail that are of shallow depth and in non-aligning relation, and a screw carried by said lug for engaging the top of the rail.

6. A structure as set forth in claim 5, wherein the rail-engaging surface of the yoke-block lies between the rail-engaging surface of the yoke top and the said screw and said opposed bearing surfaces are spaced apart to position the hooks generally at substantially right angles to the arm when the screw is ti htened.

7. In a dwell-puller the combination with a frame-arm having a web along its rear side, forming a T-shaped cross section, a hook havin a nose. :1 body and a base, said base pro vic ing a yoke for straddling the rail and inturned end-portions passing in the rear of the rail and flanking the web and means for securing the base to the rail in any position along the rail.

8. In a wheel puller the combination with a frame having arms, a pressure applicator associated with the frame, and hooks slidably engaging the arms each said hook having base-portions extending respectively in front of and in rear of the arm and adapted to firmly engage the arm at two separated points when the hook stands generally at right-angles to the arm, and a pressure screw carried by the. base adapted to act against the arm to bring the hook to such right angle position.

FREDERICK G. \VACKER, 

